Despite all efforts made, mostly by foreigners, to pass changes to the BiH Election Law over the course of the non-election year, as well as changes to the BiH Constitution in the part related to elections, it’s very unlikely this will be realized by the end of the year due to the current blockade of the state institutions. The work of the Interdepartmental Working Group (IWG) dealing with changes in the law is also questioned.
It is currently very uncertain whether the session of IWG for Amendments to the Election Legislation of BiH will be held, the first session to be held after the holiday seasons. Chairwoman Alma Ćolo announced talks with Sredoje Nović, Deputy from RS, to be held tomorrow after which we will know details regarding whether the session will be held or not, following the RS officials’ decision not to participate in decision-making in BiH institutions.
ALMA ČOLO, Chair of the IWG for Amendments to the Election Legislation of BiH
“According to the Procedure Book, I can not convene a session on my own, and even if I can, it means nothing because the quorum is very strict and if the deputies from Republika Srpska, who are members of the IWG, do not participate, we will not have a quorum and we can not work and decide as an IWG. Mr. Čolak, one of the co-chairs, agrees that we should schedule the session and continue where we left off. ”
Since the establishment of IWG, we held eight sessions. Only at the last one, held a month ago, the most controversial amendments related to the issue of electing members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and delegates in the House of Peoples of the Federal Parliament, were considered.
SNJEŽANA NOVAKOVIĆ BURSAĆ
“We are all aware, even at the level of the IWG, that if one day a decision is made, some kind of political agreement must be established before that. It seems to me that too much attention is being paid to the IWG, having in mind that the group itself is composed of the largest political parties and without a key political agreement at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the question arises around the point of IWG existence.
In the CEC BiH they say that, according to the existing Election Law, they are obliged to call an elections at the beginning of the May and conduct them in the first week of October 2022, regardless of whether there will be changes to the Election Law or not.
ŽELJKO BAKALAR, president of CEC BiH
The verdict Sejdić and Finci was passed in 2009, yet until today, Bosnia and Herzegovina has not eliminated those systemic discrimination. This has not been achieved to date despite passing four additional Strasbourg court verdicts. However, elections were called and held so there is no reason not to continue this practice having in mind that systemic discrimination remain if there will be no changes to the Election Law and the Constitution by the 2022 election. ”
Political analyst Tanja Topic believes that it is difficult to expect the Election Law to be amended by the end of the year, but also reminds that this issue is among the priorities of the international community in BiH.
TANJA TOPIĆ, political analyst
“We have already seen that some of the political parties have announced a boycott of the elections if there are no changes in the Election Law. I think that there will be extremely strong pressure from the international factor in Bosnia and Herzegovina to hold these elections. I also believe their priority at this moment is to work on changing the Election Law. ”
After a recent meeting with senior US and EU officials, SDA and HDZ BiH leaders expressed confidence that they were much closer to a solution, but key differences remain. Some insist on implementing the decision of the BiH Constitutional Court in the Ljubić case, which, they believe, would enable the principle of “legitimate representation” of the constituent peoples in government institutions. Others prefer the implementation of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, which, as they claim, would enable all citizens of BiH, regardless of nationality, to be elected to government institutions. The solution of how to implement both verdicts, and to be acceptable to everyone – is not yet in sight.
Source: Bhrt.ba
